An even more serious reduction from €7.5m to €4.5m saw Jamestown Court, in Co Westmeath, sold. Again it was a lavishly restored country house, surrounded by well-maintained grounds with a formal walled garden and cottages on 62 acres.

Looks like a great price. How would it compare against similar houses in the middle of nowhere in say England or France? Is this value on an international comparison, or just by inflated Irish standards.